Here’s an SAT question: What does “esoteric”mean?

The College Board’s answer: Don’t worry about it.

Beginning in the spring of 2014, infamous SAT vocab questions like the one above will be rebooted as the nation’s most popular college entrance exam receives its biggest facelift in years. College Board President David Coleman announced in early March that the test would be reworked to “ask students to apply a deep understanding of the few things shown by current research to matter most for college readiness and success,” according to information on the College Board website. Under the change, the test will be rescaled on a 1600 point scale and the essay portion will be optional. And if you believe the meaning of “esoteric” is known only to a few, don’t worry about that either – under the new test standards, there is no penalty for wrong answers.

Here’s a breakdown from the College Board website of what 2016 SAT test-takers can expect when they open up their test booklets.

1. Evidence-based reading and writing

Test-takers will have to back up answers with evidence on questions that require them to cite specific parts of selections to support their answers.

2. Writings from wide range of disciplines

Students will analyze texts from science, history, and social studies just as they do in class. As the test stands, many different kinds of texts may be included, but there is no hard and fast rule requiring guaranteeing that scientific or historical texts are tested. The new SAT will more often feature significant texts like Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream Speech” or Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address.

3. Shifts in vocabulary tested

The new test will focus on inference of words’ meaning based on context and less of memorization of obscure words’ meaning.

4. Refocused math section

The revised math portion will test three core content areas that “most contribute to student readiness for college and career training,” the College Board reported on its website. The College Board has titled these areas “problem-solving and data analysis”; “the heart of algebra”; and “passport to advanced math.”

5. Calculator use restricted

Students taking the revised SAT will only be permitted to use their calculators on certain portions of the math section, as opposed to the current test allowing calculator use on the full math section. The change will allow “greater assessment of students’ understanding, fluency, and technique,” according to an explanation on the College Board website.

6. Optional essay

Test-takers will no longer be required to complete the oft-dreaded essay portion of the exam. In justifying the decision to loosen up the essay requirement, the College Board reported the quality of one timed essay during a single SAT administration has historically been a weak predictor of college success. The College Board also reported that many college admissions officers have not found the essay portion to be helpful in making an admissions decision. The essay will be centered on analyzing a source, and exceptional essays will be recognized by the College Board through a new awards program.

7. Rescaled scoring

The new test will again be scored a scale of 1600 with a separate score for the optional essay portion. The SAT followed such a score scale prior to the last major exam change that shifted the SAT to its current 2400-point scale in 2005. While the current SAT deducts 1/4 point for each incorrect response, the revised test does not penalize students for wrong answers.

8. Free test prep materials

College Board is partnering with web-based learning powerhouse Khan Academy to provide free test preparation materials for takers of the redesigned SAT across the globe. Until the new test’s launch, Khan Academy will begin providing tutorials guiding students through problem types on the current SAT. The College Board also announced the coming launch of a new program waiving college application fees so low-income SAT test-takers will be able to apply to up to four schools free of charge.